Giancarlo Stanton, OF

[Swifty]

I think he wore 20 in the AFL, that might end up being it.

(I love this man too much, I need help).

[BigGameFish]

83 homers in 300 career games...lord.

[Ramp]

0/2 2bb k tonight

[MiamiHomer]

One of the walks was intentional.

[emkayseven]

everything stanton does is intentional

[yandro]

One of the walks was intentional.

And it wasn't like man on second, no outs. There were runners on the corners with two outs and walked him to load the bases. The next hitter made them pay with a basehit to score two.

[wanks1212]

Even Dave Hyde (Dave Hyde!) is fawning over Stanton:

His manager says, "Every day I come to work and he's still here is a good day." His hitting coach says, "He's teaching me things." His teammate says, "It's not fair, being so young and having that much talent."

His general manager stands with a Mike Stanton jersey draped over his shoulder Wednesday afternoon, part of an upcoming giveaway, and says, "We set the promotion for May 29. We figured we didn't want to wait longer than that."

Stanton is at the plate, watching a low slider for ball four. And let's do this introduction properly because his is a name you'll be hearing a lot of in coming years. No matter what name he goes by.

The public-address announcer of the Marlins Double-A affiliate, the Jacksonville Suns, calls him Michael. Teammates call him Mike.

"Either one is fine,'' Stanton says.

Then there's his given name: Giancarlo Cruz Michael Stanton.

"Giancarlo's Italian,'' he says. "I'm a quarter-black, a quarter-Puerto Rican and half-Irish, but [his parents] just liked the name Giancarlo."

But people kept mispronouncing it in Panorama, Calif., and by fifth grade he switched to the meat-and-potatoes name of Mike Stanton. Which isn't what some Marlins call him.

"The Big Worm,'' Stanton says.

That goes to a spring meeting between Stanton and the Dolphins' Bill Parcells. Stanton turned down a scholarship offer to play at Southern California, though Parcells joked upon seeing the 6-foot-4, 220-pound Stanton, "You're too wormy for football."

"Give me some pads to put on and we'll see,'' Stanton told him.

A couple of seasons into his baseball career, Stanton's numbers are compelling: 15 home runs this season (only one other player in the Southern League has more than eight). A home run every seven at-bats ( Albert Pujols led the majors with a home run every 12.1 at-bats last year). A disciplined 31 walks in 139 plate appearances (compared to 31 walks in 341 plate appearances last year).

The question around the Marlins right now, and one around baseball, is this: When will Stanton graduate to the big league? He can be promoted in June without having his free agency status kick in for another season.

This wait doesn't play into the franchise's continual tug between being cheap and being smart. All teams wait. Washington pitcher Stephen Strasburg is a larger example this year.

"I'm just taking it day by day, at-bat by at-bat,'' Stanton says. "All I'm thinking about is trying to get better."

It's an hour after a game he went 0 for 2 with two walks, and Stanton has just returned from lifting weights. The clubhouse is empty. Some teammates left to play golf. Others have done their postgame routine, eaten and left.

"He works as hard as anyone I've seen,'' says catcher Chris Hatcher. "Put that with his talent and he's like a 12-year-old playing on a field for eight-year-olds right now."

"He doesn't just work on hitting,'' manager Tim Leiper said. "Every day during batting practice he has me go out and hit ground balls to his right and ground balls to his left so he can practice his throws into the infield.

"They've tried running on him this year, and he's throwing people out."

Like most hitters, Stanton has a routine before games. Unlike most, he has his own drills. For instance, one involves tracking a pitch with his eyes as long as possible without turning his head. He then says where the pitch was located and whether it was a ball or strike.

"I've never seen that,'' hitting coach Corey Hart says,.

"I made it up this spring,'' Stanton says. "I thought it would help me study the strike zone."

Part of the fun of being a baseball fan is watching prospects develop. Marlins fans, for reasons good and bad, have had more than their share of great prospects. The last one to create this much buzz was Miguel Cabrera in 2003.

Call Stanton whatever you want. Mike. Michael. The Big Worm. The Next Great One. Even Giancarlo, considering South Florida would have no problem pronouncing it. Stanton smiles.

"I've thought of that,'' he says.

Has he thought of June in South Florida?

He smiles, wipes a towel over his head, and says what the smart ones always do: "I'm just trying to get better here every day."

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/f...6867300.column

[CrimsonCane]

I like this part a lot.

"He doesn't just work on hitting,'' manager Tim Leiper said. "Every day during batting practice he has me go out and hit ground balls to his right and ground balls to his left so he can practice his throws into the infield.

"They've tried running on him this year, and he's throwing people out."

Like most hitters, Stanton has a routine before games. Unlike most, he has his own drills. For instance, one involves tracking a pitch with his eyes as long as possible without turning his head. He then says where the pitch was located and whether it was a ball or strike.

"I've never seen that,'' hitting coach Corey Hart says,.

"I made it up this spring,'' Stanton says. "I thought it would help me study the strike zone."

So excited to see him when he finally gets his call-up.

[emkayseven]

yeah that drill is pretty awesome

i love this kid

[Fritz]

HGWAMLB

[emkayseven]

he gon wallop a major league baseball?

[Party]

He gun win at Major League Baseball?

[PitchingWinsGames]

Im leaning toward MK7 on this one

[Nick]

I think Fritzsimmons meant to put MVP.

[Fritz]

Festa got it right.